Bill Pronzini

"The Nameless Detective is essentially me.  I'm fairly opinionated, and he tends to be pretty opinionated. It's a nice way of getting my opinions out into the world. And all I'm doing is writing a braver me in a different profession."
~ Bill Pronzini, Partners in Crime

William John (Bill) Pronzini was born on April 13, 1943 in Petaluma, California the oldest of two children.  His father Joseph was a ranch worker and shipyard steam fitter and mother Helene was a bookkeeper.  Prior to embarking on a full-time writing career, Pronzini held a variety of short-term jobs, including sports reporter, warehouseman, typist, salesman and U. S. Marshal civil guard.  His humble background, in combination with his fondness for his home state, are apparent in his writing as he is able to evoke “everyman” and a vibrant sense of place.

“You Don’t Know What It’s Like,” Pronzini’s first short story, was published in the Shell Scott Mystery Magazine in November of 1966 and was followed by an additional sixty or so short stories before his first novel, The Stalker was published in 1971. The Snatch, also published in 1971, introduced Pronzini’s signature character, Nameless Detective, a brave and decent everyman well loved by Pronzini fans.

One of the most prolific of contemporary authors, Pronzini has some sixty odd books and numerous short stories and anthologies to his credit.  In 1987, at age 44, he received The Eye, the lifetime achievement award from the Private Eye Writers of America.  An adept collaborator, anthologist, and editor, Pronzini stands out not only in the mystery genre, but in the western, fantasy and science fiction and horror genres as well.  Some of his best known collaborations have been with his third and current wife, Marcia Muller, author of the Sharon McCone mystery series.

From the Nameless Detective Series  - owned by St. Charles Public Library

Blowback(1977)
Casefile (1983) LP only
Bones(1985)
Deadfall (1986)
Jackpot (1990)
Breakdown (1991)
Quarry (1992) ***
Demons (1993) ***
Sentinels (1996)
Illusions (1997)
Boobytrap (1998)
Crazybone (2000) **
Bleeders (2002)
Spook (2003), ***, LP
Scenarios: A Nameless Detective Casebook (2003) LP
Nightcrawlers (2005) ***, LP
Mourners (2006) ***
Savages (2007) ***, LP
Fever (2008)

(Note: there are 34 titles in the Nameless Detective series – please ask if you would like a list of all the titles in order and/or help getting books we don’t own from other libraries in our LINC system.)

Other Novels of Note:

With an Extreme Burning (1994) LP only
Blue Lonesome (1995) LP
A Wasteland of Strangers (1997) LP
Nothing But the Night (1999)**
In an Evil Time (2001)
Step to the Graveyard Easy (2002)
The Hangings (2003)
The Gallows Land (2003) **, ER only
The Alias Man (2004) LP
Quincannon’s Game: Western Stories (2005) LP
The Crimes of Jordan Wise (2006) **, ***
The Other Side of Silence: A Mystery (2008) *

Collaborations with Marcia Muller:

The Lighthouse: A Novel of Terror (2001) LP only
Double (1984)
Beyond the Grave (1986) FIC MULLER
Duo: Stories (1998) FIC MULLER

Nonfiction

Hard-Boiled: An Anthology of American Crime Stories, edited with Jack Adrian (1995)
813.0872 HAR

Detective Duos (1997)
813.087208 DET 

* on order
** cassette
*** CD
LP – Large Print
ER – Electronic Resource

JHL 5/00
Revised mcs 7/08